Conewago phantom
|image1=File:Noimage.png |caption1=No image available |type=Flying humanoid |size=~6-8 feet in height |behavior=Elusive }} The Conewago phantom is a flying humanoid cryptid that has reportedly been spotted near Camp Conewago and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The phantom is described as a black humanoid creature with enormous wings and glowing red eyes. Hypotheses include: *Unknown species of flying humanoid *Misidentification of cranes or owls Evidence includes: *Eyewitness testimony |-|Account=''It's hard to pinpoint an exact date, but I believe it was summertime in 2010. There were two separate instances that neither of us had thought were tied together. We were living in Mt. Wolf at the time, right by the Codorus Furnace (which, there's a whole other story about the woman in white for another time?). Behind our house were woods and it wasn't uncommon for us to hear foxes or owls or any other animal making noise out there. But there was one night that my mom had called me outside to listen to, what she described as, a sad, lonely wailing? We researched endlessly about what could have possibly made that sound, but we always fell short. Just as you described it, it would fade in and out, and eventually lingered away.'' It was a little bit after this, when my mom and I were coming home from running errands, when we slowed to a stop right around here'. It was nighttime and we always liked to watch for deer on the horizon of the fields. I was in the passenger seat, trying to see out my mom's window, and that's when I saw this black form by the back window. I don't even remember what I said or did to get her to look back, but she did. She then turned forward, slammed on the gas, and wouldn't even talk to me about it until we got home and in the house. She said that when she turned to look at it, it "stood up" and wing-like appendages spanned out from it's back. We both agreed it was massive. I'd say 9-10 ft. I don't recall seeing any red eyes, but it all happened so fast. sic -Sky (Phantoms and Monsters) |-|Account='' Sir - on Sunday, May 8th at dusk I was traveling east on Hunterstown Rd. Rt. 394 towards Hampton, PA. Just before I started to cross Conewago Creek I plainly saw a large creature with wings fly over the bridge in front of me. It was about 100 ft. in front of the car. The creature was dark in color and was as big as a full grown adult human. I looked in the direction in which it flew but I lost sight of it. I asked a neighbor (I live in Hampton) if she had ever heard of anything like this. She said there was a rumor of a sighting near the Boy Scout camp a few years ago. I searched the internet and found your story including the second sighting near Dick's Dam. Have you determined what this thing is? Is there a chance that it could hurt anyone? I appreciate your time. Eileen'' sic -Eileen (Phantoms and Monsters) |-|Account=''I met with Andy and John the following Friday at the campground. I was shocked at how little the place had changed. A flood of boyhood memories came over me while I walked around the cabins and the administration building. Andy wanted to know how long I planned to stay and that they were going to setup camp in the same area of the reports. I was game... so I told him I'd stay for the weekend, grabbed my gear and followed them into the woods. I suppose we hiked about 500 yards or so before we came to the bank of the creek, then we followed the creek for another 300 yards until we came to the fork. We setup 3 tents and had a nice fire going in short order. It was around 7:00 pm by this time, so we decided stay close to camp for the remainder of the evening.'' The first night was fairly uneventful, though I sensed that something was watching us. I didn't say anything but kept my eyes open and head clear. These woods are somewhat thick with ground cover and are inhabited by a fair amount of wildlife, especially white-tailed deer and raccoons. I remember when I was a Boy Scout, the older kids would send out the new members of the scout troop on an initiation "snipe" hunt. They'd give the prospective "hunter" a burlap bag and a flashlight and set them out into the woods at night telling them they could return only after they caught a "snipe". They were usually running back to the campsite within an hour scared to the point of tears. It was a bit cruel, but we all had to go through the indignity... it was a tradition. The next morning was sunny and cool... a perfect day to explore the woods. We sat down to breakfast when John asked if we heard footsteps and movement during the night. Andy said he slept straight through the night. I said I heard some movement but assumed it was one of my companions. Nothing seemed to be disturbed in the campsite, so we dismissed it... though I still had this lingering sense that we were being watched. We spent the day walking for several miles through the woods and examining points of interest. I wasn't picking up any spirit connections and started to think that this was going to be a quiet weekend. About 6:00 pm we got back to camp and sat down to talk about any little thing that came into our heads. Later that evening, we were sitting around the fire engaged in a conversation about football when suddenly a scream rang out west and upstream from our location. I thought it sounded like an owl at first, but a few minutes later it happened again and it distinctively sounded like a child. I couldn't tell how far away it was but it lasted for several seconds and seemed to fade in and out. We got up and walked a few yards into the woods expecting to hear the sound again. It was quiet for about an hour and we were discussing what could have naturally caused that sound. I have heard bobcats, owls and rabbits scream and none sounded close to this. We agreed that it was definitely the cries of a child. We decided to stay up for the entire night. There was a full moon and much of the woods and creek were visible. At approximately 1:00 am, I was walking the perimeter of our camp when I suddenly felt like something was watching me. I stood still and tried to gauge what was going on. I told Andy and John what I felt and we started to walk deeper into the woods towards the fork. We walked about 50 feet when, without warning, we recognized to our right a large dark figure with bright red eyes standing in the creek... and suddenly it shot straight up into the air with an audible "whoosh". A few seconds later, we heard another scream that seemed to fade as if was moving away from us. We hurried back to the campsite and compared thoughts about this phantom. Andy was shook up and didn't talk for several minutes until I prodded him for his recollection. John was surprising calm and estimated that it was 6 foot or so, dark in color and seemed to have something extending from its back. I also noticed the structures on the back and commented that it reminded me of wings but I was unsure. We all agreed that it had bright red eyes. This creature or phantom jettisoned so fast that we didn't even have time to get a flashlight on it. Andy wanted to spend the night in the administration building and come back and collect our gear in the morning. He and John walked back, but I decided to stay in the campsite for the remainder of the night. Nothing significant occurred though that feeling of being watched remained. sic -Lon (Phantoms and Monsters) *The Conewago phantom is known for the haunting wails it lets out at night. Noimage.png Category:Forteana Category:Cryptids Category:Humanoids Category:Winged humanoids Category:Articles without images Category:Flying creatures Category:United States